Abstract: A checker brick mold including a mold body having an internal cavity is disclosed. The cavity has entrance portions with one entrance portion being larger than the other. The cavity also has a central portion between and adjacent the entrance portions and flaring inwardly from the larger entrance portion to the other. A spaced pair of mold entrance sections are provided each to be inserted into an associated one of the entrance portions and having surfaces complemental to the associated entrance portion. A prime mover is operatively connected to the entrance sections for moving the sections toward one another to compress a mass in the cavity and away from one another to remove a compressed mass from the cavity.

Abstract: An interlocking checker brick used to form a checkerwork for use in recovering heat in thermal regenerators and recuperators. The checker brick is made of a refractory material and is of a generally trapezoidal shape with each side wall having at least a section forming an acute angle with respect to the base. The preferred brick has spaced side walls each of which includes top and bottom sections adjacent to and perpendicular to top and bottom surfaces respectively. Each side wall also includes a central section flaring outwardly and downwardly from its top to its bottom section. Checkerworks utilizing these bricks increase turbulence while reducing laminar flow during alternating cycles of flowing gases and air.

Abstract: An interlocking checker brick used to form a checkerwork for use in recovering heat in thermal regenerators and recuperators. The checker brick is made of a refractory material and comprises a rectangular top, a rectangular base, two side walls and two end walls. The end walls each have a generally trapezoidal shape and therefore each side wall has at least a section forming an acute angle with respect to the base. The preferred brick has spaced side walls each of which includes top and bottom sections adjacent to and perpendicular to top and bottom surfaces respectively. Each side wall also includes a central section flaring outwardly and downwardly from its top to its bottom section. Checkerworks utilizing these bricks are arranged to improve the amount of exposed brick surface that acts as a thermal surface and to increase turbulence while reducing laminar flow during alternating cycles of flowing gases and air. A method and apparatus for making the preferred brick is also disclosed.

Abstract: An interlocking checker brick used to form a checkerwork for use in recovering heat in thermal regenerators and recuperators. The checker brick is made of a refractory material and comprises a rectangular top, a rectangular base, two side walls and two end walls. The end walls have a trapezoidal shape and therefore each side wall forms an acute angle with respect to the base. This provides a brick that tapers in thickness from the base to the top and is trapezoidal in cross section. Checkerworks utilizing these bricks are arranged to improve the amount of exposed brick surface that acts as a thermal surface and to increase turbulence while reducing laminar flow during alternating cycles of flowing gases and air.

Abstract: A checker brick has a plurality of walls intersecting at a plurality of spaced intersections. Four walls extend outwardly from each intersection in equidistantly-spaced relationship to one another. One of the four walls at each intersection is a common wall that extends between adjacent intersections. The other three walls at each intersection are independent walls. Mating projections and recesses are provided on the opposite surfaces of the brick at the intersections for interlocking bricks stacked in tiers.

Abstract: A blast furnace stove having a hot blast outlet which is configured in a particular elliptical-shaped so that all the bricks in its peripheral refractory reinforcing wall are substantially identical in shape and dimension. The center line of this outlet passes through the center of the blast furnace stove instead of through the center of the combustion chamber. Preferably, the burner inlet is also configured in the shape disclosed by the present invention.

Abstract: An internal partitioning wall for a blast furnace stove in which a layer of insulating material is interposed between two layers of refractory material. Buttressing means such as integral, refractory ledges are provided at periodic vertical intervals from one layer of refractory material to the other. These refractory ledges protect the insulating layer from damage due to radially directed compressive forces found to exist in this wall and also reduce deterioration of this insulation due to sagging and vertical compression.

Abstract: A breast wall construction of a blast furnace hot blast stove includes a free-moving vertical arch composed of reverse wedge interlocking refractory shapes which form a monolithic unit upon differential heat expansion of the breast wall when the blast stove is operating in the on-gas mode.

Abstract: Novel shapes of refractory jamb bricks are disclosed which are readily removable and replaceable without tearing down and rebuilding the novel jamb structure of a heating wall of a coke oven battery.